President committed to promoting restorative justice

President Anthony Carmona says he remains committed to revitalising the criminal justice system from the inside out. He spoke about it as he passed the Carrera Island Prison on his way to a tour, with members of the Diplomatic Corps, of the Nelson Island heritage site yesterday.

Recalling his experiences as a criminal judge, Carmona said he sent many men to the island prison, some of whom may still be inmates to this day. He said proper rehabilitation was needed in prisons to prevent recidivism and his experiences have motivated him to seek out the root causes of crime as a judge and try to institute long-term change.

“A lot of times, I have been faced by young men and women who have committed crimes, and when I ask them, some of them haven’t finished school or sometimes can’t read or write. In cases like these, I’ve always tried to assign these people to classes and trade schools so they can make the most out of their lives.”

He lamented what he describes as a “revolving-door” criminal justice system which does not rehabilitate offenders but rather produces hardened criminals. He said an overhaul of the current system was necessary to properly address changes in crime and criminality. He has tried, he said, to include a more liberal-minded approach to administering justice. Adding that while many jurists and legislators are willing to bring about much-needed change to the system, several aspects of the system prevented such change.